STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The late Tommy Monahan learned at a young age that charity was important, so whenever he could, the pet-loving boy pushed aside spare change that would be donated to the Staten Island Animal Care Center.

On Monday, Borough President James P. Molinaro, the director of the Animal Care & Control of NYC (AC&C) and other city officials announced that 9-year-old Monahan's name would forever be tied to the Charleston-based shelter, which is slated to undergo a complete renovation beginning in January.

"He was a young man that had a newspaper route. He also took money from his Christmas gifts and his birthday and would come here and contribute it to this shelter," said Molinaro. "This is the type of kid we're dedicating this for. We have to continue that for him."

Molinaro and the Department of Health & Mental Hygiene funded the $7.3 million construction of the new facility to manage the approximately 2,400 homeless pets that arrive at the South Shore shelter each year.

"We've been waiting a long time," said Risa Weinstock, director of the non-profit AC&C, who called the current facility built in 1994 old, tight and small.

The shelter, expected to be completed in April 2015, will have a new layout that Ms. Weinstock says could help result in more adoptions. Construction will take place in phases so the facility will never close. The site's animal capacity will go from about 85 to more than 110.

Tommy's mother, Maria Monahan, said her son would have been humbled
and really thankful to be part of the revamped Island pet shelter.

"This place was special to him because he visited it," the grateful Ms.
Monahan said. "To have something so personal and personally connected
to Tommy is more than we could ever imagine."

The boy's name will grace the new Care Center's surgical unit.

"His death was the impetus for all of this," said Ms. Weinstock. "The borough president, with his huge heart, reached out to [the Monahans]. I think really they just talked about who Tommy was and what he loved, and the fact that he died trying to save his pets. Any pet owner could very easily be in that same situation, especially when it's a child. It's heartbreaking."

She called the Monahan family amazing people and added she was extremely happy to have them present for the announcement.

Dr. Thomas Farley, Health Department commissioner, said the new shelter will be a beautiful place for people to visit and adopt pets for years to come. David J. Burney, commissioner of the city's Department of Design and Construction (DDC), said the borough's facility will be the city's best.

Councilman Vincent Ignizio (R-South Shore) said having the boy's name grace a portion of the site is a great tribute. "This is all about adoption. Tommy would want you to all go home with a pet."